Too close
by jacksonmccoy
Summary: Jasper's just about done playing the part of Alice's Ken doll and when opportunity knocks in the form of a certain russet wolf, he may find no reason to resist temptation.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I have two wonderful and beautiful betas, Savannah_Vee & loula_ff, and I love them dearly. Thanks also to all my new friends on Twitter for helping me get this chapter done and encouraging me so much. Y'all are pretty great and I'm glad to know you all. ;)

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Jasper was lounging at the top of a tall pine near, but not too near, the treaty line. It was quiet out here, acoustically and empathically. Emotions weren't just there or not there. They were more like gravity; you could never really escape them, only get a little distance.

He always came this far out when he needed a break. Here, everything felt muted. It was like all the emotions were ripples from a pebble but he was on the other side of the lake. Here, he could savor those fragile ripples. He enjoyed trying to place each one without being overwhelmed by any. This was his sanctuary.

And then it wasn't. Someone was headed his way fast and the heat of the anger they were putting off nearly startled the God of War himself from his perch. He took a deep breath and caught the scent of wolf on his tongue. Maybe he shouldn't be so close to the treaty line right now.

He started slowly climbing down the limbs, trying to catch sight of the wolf that was fast approaching. About halfway down, he finally caught sight of him. The wolf was russet brown and his fur moved like waves as he ran so fast. He was poetry in motion and Jasper wished, for a moment, he could see him a little bit closer. He should have remembered to be careful of what he wished for.

The wolf was running almost parallel to the treaty line before he caught Jasper's scent and headed toward him directly. It was definitely time to go.

Without descending any further, he leapt to the next tree, and the next, as fast as he could. He put a bit more distance between himself and the treaty line before checking to see if the wolf had ceased his pursuit or continued onto Cullen land.

A large growl came up from the ground directly below him. Damn that wolf was fast!

"You shouldn't be here!" Jasper called down. "I wasn't on your land, just near it. There's been no violation of your treaty."

He could feel the wolf's anger waning. He seemed to be trying to get himself under control. Jasper sent a small calm his way to help.

"There's no need for this to go any further. Head back to your land and I'll head home. We can forget about it entirely."

The wolf gave a small yip, seemed to take a deep breath, and turned to wander back the way he came. Instead of the anger Jasper felt when the wolf was approaching, the wolf was sending out waves of resignation and despair as he padded back for his own land. Jasper wondered for a moment what could have set the wolf on the rampage to begin with.

No way to know, he supposed, though for once he did envy Edward's power. He wished he knew what was bothering the troubled creature. He always got the what but never the why.

Jasper sighed and shrugged before turning to head back to the house. He needed to let Carlisle know what had happened in case the pack called about the incident.

The whole run back to the house, all Jasper could think about was what might have set the wolf off. He could ask Bella to check on him next time she visited but he wasn't sure which wolf it had been. Surely if it were one of her friends she'd know the color of his fur? He made a mental note to ask her when she got home.

As he stepped through the front door, Jasper found himself assaulted by Emmett's joy. He chuckled as he watched the big oaf do a happy dance for some victory on his Xbox. He loved his adopted brother and he admired the simplicity of his emotional waves but the intensity was enough to bring back the headache that he'd went out into the woods to lose.

"Hey, man! Come play some C. O. D. with me!"

"Not now, Emmett. I need to go see Carlisle first. Are the girls back yet?"

"Nah, they're still shopping. Rosie sent me a text a little while ago. She said something about Bella being ready to throttle your wife though. I don't know why Bells lets them talk her into going; she always ends up miserable and pissy, according to Rosie."

"She does it because she knows it makes Alice happy. I think we can all make the claim that we do things we hate because we want Alice happy," Jasper said with a look that told Emmett he'd best not repeat that to Alice.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, Carlisle's upstairs in his study still and I think Eddie's still hunting. Or maybe he's just avoiding me; I haven't seen him in hours."

Jasper nodded at Emmett and headed upstairs to find the family patriarch. There was little he loathed more than walking into that study, like the teenager he was pretending to be, to confess his transgressions. He managed to hold in the petulant sigh as he knocked on the door.

"Come in, Jasper," Carlisle called to him.

"Hey. Sorry to bother you," Jasper began as he stepped into the room.

"You're never a bother, Jasper. What can I do for you?" Carlisle asked, placing the medical text he'd been reading aside.

"I was out near the treaty line and I had a little encounter with one of the wolves. I don't think it'll be a big deal but I wanted to let you know, just in case it came up."

"What happened?" Carlisle asked, throwing off intense waves of concern.

"I was up in a tree, like I said, near the treaty line. The wolf came running toward the line madder than hell at Lord knows what. When he smelled me, he started my way. I came further onto our land and he followed. I stayed up in the tree but turned back to talk him down.

"He couldn't have been angry at me, because I felt him coming long before he could've smelled me. I think it was just my scent on top of his mood that set him off. Nothing really happened. I talked him down and sent him some calm and he was on his way back. I came straight on back up here to let you know, just in case, like I said."

"Jasper, why were you so close to the line to begin with?" Carlisle asked, getting that 'dad' look Jasper hated so much on his face.

"There's just a good place to sit out there that I like. It's far away from everything. There's normally never anyone that far out and it is still technically our land," Jasper explained in what he hoped was a respectful tone, when all he felt like doing was telling 'dad' that he was damn old enough to go where the hell he pleased.

Carlisle sighed. He was tired of trying to explain to Jasper that it was better to play it safe.

Jasper tried to rein in his annoyance at the emotions Carlisle was letting off.

"I'll just go to my library and do some reading then," Jasper trailed off and turned to leave.

"Just be careful, Jasper," Carlisle called after him, unintentionally sending frustration after him too.

Jasper stepped carefully down the hall and sat in a reading chair in his library. He didn't even bother grabbing something to read from the shelf. He knew he was too damn pissed off right now to read anyway, so he just sat and stared out the window, trying to calm down and not project too much.

This playing the teenager was getting way too damn old. He was no one's son to be scolded and he certainly didn't think he wanted to live this way any longer.

Alice always insisted this was where they were meant to be but if he was being honest, he didn't trust her to know a damn thing about him anymore. All she seemed interested in was pretending he was a Ken in her Dream House that she could dress up and order around.

He appreciated the lifestyle. He was glad to have found a diet he could tolerate and a support system to keep with it, but damn it he was getting real fed up with the fucking rules that went with it.

What he missed most about human life was sleep. He thought if he could just get some sleep he'd let his subconscious sort out all the bullshit and he could deal with life a little better. He wondered if a vampire even had a subconscious or whatever.

"Probably not," Edward called from the doorway, causing Jasper to jump. "Wow, you're jumpy today."

"How in the hell did you sneak up on me like that?"

"Guess you're losing your touch," Edward said with a shrug. "Heard anything from the girls?"

"Emmett got a text from Rose. I think my wife is torturing yours."

"Sounds typical."

"Pretty much."

"So what's got you all philosophical today?" Edward asked, venturing further into the room.

"I don't want to talk about it. I'm going for a walk," Jasper answered, shoving past him and toward the stairs.

"Didn't you just get back?" Edward called after him.

"Yep," he answered without a pause as he took off down the stairs, out the door, and into the woods. The last thing he wanted was his "perfect" brother giving him tips on how to act and think.

"Fuck all of them," Jasper said aloud, once out of ear shot of the house, as he headed back to his sanctuary. He was done letting the family or the pack run him away from what he needed, and right now, he need the peace.

He got settled back up on his perch without any trouble. The scent of wolf still lingered but he found he didn't mind it so much. Maybe he was getting used to living this close to the pack, or maybe his visitor just didn't stink like the rest of them.

Either way, the spot was peaceful, and his again, and he thoroughly enjoyed sitting out there for the rest of the evening before heading back to the house to deal with the Cullens again.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Millions of thanks to my two beautiful girls, **Savannah_Vee** & **Loula_ff**! Without my wonderful betas, the following would be a whole lot worse! lol Seriously, I'm really enjoying doing this and I hope you're enjoying reading it. I really appreciate those of you who may not normally be Jacob fans, for giving this a shot. I hope you like my version of him.

Disclaimer: Totally forgot this last time, but you know the deal, right? I don't own it. :)

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Jacob's POV:

It was total bullshit. Did he judge them for the random subconscious thoughts that popped into their heads during patrol? No! But this? This, they decide is something that needs to be talked about. It was none of his dad's business and Sam had no right to go running his mouth.

A long exhausting night of running patrols and what did Jacob come home to? A goddamned intervention! Even his sisters had been there. He hadn't even known Rebecca was coming home to visit. How had Sam planned this and kept it secret? Apparently the alpha wolf could keep a secret when he wanted to, but when it came to Jacob's not-so-private thoughts, not so much.

Jacob stayed near the door and surveyed the room. His dad was sitting in his wheelchair near the kitchen. Rachel was sitting on Paul's lap on the couch and Rebecca sat by them. Sam was standing close by, probably to keep him under control if he got too angry.

"Now, Jacob," Billy began. "Let's just sit down and get this over with. You don't want to be here and neither do I, but we need to know what's going on with you."

Jacob's eyes widened at the implication. There was only one thing they could possibly be referring to. Only one thing set him apart from his brother wolves. And it was none of their damn business anyway!

"Jake, you know we love you no matter what," Rachel started.

"And we'll always be here for you, Jake," Rebecca added, "even when we're far away."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Then why the hell is this," he indicated the room full of concerned-looking people, "necessary?"

"Because you need to know that we support you," Rachel answered.

"I don't need support. I need to be left the hell alone!" Jacob snapped.

"Easy, Jake." Sam stepped up to warn him.

Jacob turned on his alpha and let the rage show in his eyes, while trying to keep his voice calm. "This is your fault. It is no one's business but my own."

"We are your family and your pack, Jacob. When you put yourself in danger, it is our business!" Sam yelled, getting into Jacob's face.

"I put myself in loads more danger on patrol than I ever have on my trips to Seattle. You just don't like what I'm doing. Well excuse me for having a life off the reservation and not conforming to what you think is right!"

"That's about enough, Jacob," Billy said calmly, but in a tone that brokered no further argument. "Sam saw something and you're going to explain it. You're going to bars? Drinking? For one, you're not old enough to get into these places you're going."

Jacob just stared at his dad for a moment before he laughed so hard he doubled over.

"You're mad because I'm drinking?" he asked, as his humor calmed and embarrassment came to the forefront. He realized what they were missing and what he might have to explain.

"Alcoholism is no laughing matter, Jacob," Rebecca snapped, clearly beginning to lose patience with her little brother. "You need to take this seriously so we can help you. I came all this way and all you can do is laugh?"

"I'm not an alcoholic! Jeez, you guys. What the fuck? I barely ever even drink. Maybe one beer, two tops. How is that alcoholism?"

"It's not how much you drink. It's how you do it. You've been different over the last few months, Jacob. Ever since you started sneaking away to Seattle, you won't hang out with us and you guard your thoughts so carefully. When I caught a glimpse of your thoughts about the bar, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. We're here to support you, not judge you. We want to help you. I'm sorry if that feels like an invasion," Sam explained as carefully as he could.

"And when you glimpsed and assumed wrong, did you happen to notice anything else about the bar that might explain why I go there?" Jacob asked carefully. He didn't want to give away too much and step out tonight if he didn't have to. He just wasn't ready for that yet. He'd only begun to figure this out for himself.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, frowning as if thinking about what he'd heard from Jacob's mind.

Jacob doubted he'd noticed anything though. After all, he'd only let slip a thought buying one of the guys a drink. It probably came across as innocent enough.

"Never mind," Jacob mumbled, breathing a sigh of relief even while realizing he'd not be able to phase again and keep Sam out of this. He needed to find a way around patrol until he could figure out how to tell them on his own terms.

"No, not 'never mind,' Jacob! What the hell is going on?" Rachel screamed as she jumped up from Paul's lap, apparently having reached her limit of her brother's dodging.

Paul reached up and grabbed her, pulling her back into his lap and trying to calm her down. "Calm down, Rach," he whispered in her ear. "This is not the way to handle whatever's going on with him."

Jacob's temper flared at Paul's easily heard whispers. He was not interested in being 'handled.'

"Damn it, Rachel!" He yelled. "All of you! I know you think you're being helpful but you really don't know what the hell you're talking about! I'm in no danger, I promise. You've got it all wrong."

Rachel turned into Paul's neck and appeared to be sobbing. This was getting too stressful.

"Listen, Jake," Paul finally spoke up. "I'm really trying to stay the hell out of this, but whatever it is, man, just tell us. That way everyone can chill out and we can all just get on with our lives."

"Fine! Fuck! You assholes couldn't even let me do this on my own? It's not like I would hide it forever. It's just with all the bullshit with Bella and everything…I'm not in the mood to be psychoanalyzed. Is that so damn wrong?"

Rebecca stood and crossed the room to give Jacob a hug, but he backed away and held up a hand. She seemed a little offended but backed off.

"If I'm going to do this, I can't do it with you in my face," he said, by way of explaining the rude move. Jacob took a deep breath and looked around at the people in the room. He hoped this wasn't the last time they looked at him like he was one of them.

As far as he knew, he would be the first member of this tribe to ever say this out loud. He chose to look at his dad as he said it. He needed to know most what he really thought, before he had time to put some fake look on his face.

"I think I'm…No, I know. I'm gay," Jacob said, looking straight into his dad's eyes.

And there it was, no mistaking it. Disgust. His only boy was a faggot. Jacob hated the judgment he saw in his father's eyes, but he was glad he at least knew. No more doubt. He couldn't be himself here. Their unconditional love didn't extend to this.

He felt the anger swell up. He knew the phase was coming and he wouldn't be able to control it. Jacob turned and was out the door moments before it happened. Sam was hot on his trail a moment later.

_Jacob, stop!_ The alpha commanded.

Jacob thought the only thing he could, _No!_

Something inside him just snapped. The world seemed to shrink and his step faltered for a moment before he regained his step. Just like that, he was alone in his own head. He'd managed, somehow, to take what was his and the freedom that came with it only served to piss him off more. Now he was truly alone.

He kept running. At first, Sam kept chasing him but he must have realized, as Jacob continued to put distance between them, that he couldn't match his speed if Jacob didn't want to be caught.

At some point after Sam had finally ceased his pursuit, fueled by his anger, Jacob stretched his paws far in front of him and took on even more speed.

What right did they have to judge him? He knew they would never accept it and he had worked hard to keep his secret, but they just couldn't leave him alone. Well, fuck them! He didn't need any of them. He was his own wolf. Alpha. No more orders. No more nosey wolves in his thoughts.

He had no idea he was anywhere near Cullen land until he caught the scent of the vampire. Somewhere, deep in his mind, he knew he should run away from the scent but his instincts took over, and he began to chase the vampire instead.

It wasn't on the ground but it was moving, and the scent was drawing Jacob in. He couldn't seem to stop. Finally, the scent halted and Jacob looked up to see it hanging from a limb looking down at him. Golden eyes; that sucked. If they'd been red he'd have had a nice target for his anger. Nope, it was definitely a Cullen.

"You shouldn't be here!" the vampire called down. "I wasn't on your land, just near it. There's been no violation of your treaty."

Jacob tried to calm himself down. The vampire was right; he was the one in the wrong here. He'd come onto their land without provocation. A wave of calm hit him then. Jacob realized this was the vampire that played with emotions. It was irritating but Jacob chose not to dwell on it. He was grateful for the help right now because he was definitely out of control.

"There's no need for this to go any further. Head back to your land and I'll head home. We can forget about it entirely," the blond vampire called down to him.

Jacob realized he was being given a very generous way out of this mess. He gave what he hoped would be interpreted as a friendly yip, took a deep breath, and turned to head away and off Cullen land.

Now what would he do? Where would he go? Not back home. Even if by some miracle some of them had gotten used to the idea, he wasn't in the mood to be 'tolerated' for being who he was.

As Jacob left Cullen land, he wondered who he could talk to. He knew he was going off half-cocked. Truth was, he wished there was someone he trusted to talk to.

Not knowing what else to do, he took off for the coast, hoping a cold dip in the Pacific might help him gather his thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

AN: Love to my betas, Lacey and Sheena! All the wonderful Twitter people, especially everyone who participated in the writer's chats. Several people have pimped out my fic in their notes lately and I want to say thank you to all of you too! Too Close was also pimped on Tazz's Twilight Obsession, so thanks to Sarah for the interview! I am so thankful for all the friends I have made since I started working on this story. I love you all. Especially you, yes you! ;) I hope you enjoy! Love, Jack

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**Jasper****'****s****POV**

No sooner had he walked into the house did she start.

"Jasper! What happened today? You disappeared!" Alice stated, her tone calm, but her emotions couldn't lie. She was suspicious and angry.

No damn faith. None of them had any fucking faith in him.

"Nothing, Ali. It was just one of the wolves. He got a little too close to me out in the woods. No big deal, but probably why you couldn't see me."

He hated little more than the constant surveillance on his future, lest he backslide and slaughter some poor human. If he didn't know better, he'd think he was a fucking child instead of a 147 year old vampire damn well capable of handling himself.

"Jazz, you're projecting. I'm sorry you're mad at me, but I can't help but to worry when I can't see what's going to happen," Alice chided him.

He took a deep breath and did his best to concentrate and rein in the negative emotions he was projecting. It was doubly difficult when Alice was feeling annoyed instead of supportive. He could tell she was growing tired of babysitting him. Frankly, he was damn tired of being babysat!

"Whatever, Alice. You can't always see everything. And even when you can see clearly, you can't control it."

"I'm not trying to control you, Jasper. I just want to help you."

The fuck she wasn't trying to control him. He took another deep breath and tried to pull some calm from somewhere but he just couldn't find it. And then he did.

"You know what, Alice? Don't worry about it," he told her with a soft smile.

"What do you mean?" she asked, a little worried at how fast he managed to switch gears.

"I mean, don't worry about me. I'm done with this bullshit."

Jasper turned and walked calmly outside. Alice, with Esme and Edward joining her, followed him into the yard.

"Wait! Jazzy! Don't go!" Alice cried, stopping not far from the porch.

Esme caught Alice's arm while simultaneously blocking Edward's path. "Let him go, dears. He needs some time to think. Trust him for once. I do."

Jasper smiled to himself upon hearing Esme's words. He was glad she said that, even if she didn't really feel it. He appreciated the gesture anyway.

His smile slipped away and his anger returned in full force as he heard Alice whisper, "But I can't see what will happen. We won't be able to stop him if something goes wrong."

Fucking bitch. He almost turned back to tell her but he wasn't sure he could control himself and he knew he'd regret it.

Instead he ran into the woods as fast as he could.

The further he ran, the more his anger burned. What right did they have to judge him? It wasn't like their hands were clean. Well, other than Carlisle, and who wanted to be a self-righteous prick anyway?

Fuck them. He had the diet down. He didn't need them. What he needed was... he just didn't know. He needed to not be so damn angry at them for a little while. He needed to just let go.

Deciding a hunt might help, he set out looking for his next meal. He managed to down two deer before he hit the coastline. He was still too angry to think straight and decided a swim in the cool water might just be the ticket.

Stepping off the cliff edge, his body naturally crouched down to absorb the weight of the fall as he hit the sand. Standing, he removed his clothes and tossed them up on a rock ledge to keep them dry.

Jasper stretched out his body and took off running into the water. It wasn't much cooler than he was but it was nice to feel the water moving around him. Skinny-dipping wasn't something he could often indulge in with Alice around. God knows all that fucking woman wanted to do was dress him. Sometimes he wondered if she ever really wanted to undress him. Lately, it didn't seem like it.

Letting himself sink to the bottom, he started to find that peace he was looking for again. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the muted effect the water was producing on all his senses.

* * *

**Jacob****'****s****POV**

He smelled the vampire before he saw him. Jacob had been swimming way off shore when a breeze brought the scent to his nose and he turned to search for its source.

From the scent, he knew it was the same vampire as before, the one that messed with emotions. But the sight that caught his eyes when he finally saw him was one of surprise. The vamp just jumped off the cliff, landed on the beach, and started to... Jacob gulped audibly as the vampire stripped off his clothes and made his way into the water.

Nudity wasn't something that normally bothered Jacob. He'd gotten used to it with the pack and had learned quickly that if he was going to keep his secret, he must avert his eyes and his thoughts. But this was different. The pale skin revealed to him entranced his eyes. He couldn't look away.

Even as the vampire sunk below the surface of the water, Jacob continued staring at the spot in wonder. Then, as if waking himself from a dream, he shook his head and tried to dispel these unnerving thoughts.

He began a silent mantra: _I__am__not__attracted__to__a__vampire__. __I__am__not__attracted__to__a__vampire__. __I__am__not__attracted__to__that__muscled__, __long__-__haired__, __golden__-__eyed__... __Fuck__!_

Was the vampire ignoring him? He should have noticed him out here by now. They were too close not to smell and sense each other.

Jacob swam slowly toward the spot where he saw the vampire slip under the water. He was almost there when the vampire shot up out of the water in front of him and looked at him wide-eyed. Jacob held his hands up for a moment to show him he did not mean to attack-though he had thought of it, but not in the traditional sense.

"What are you doing out here?" Jacob asked, not meaning to sound rude, just curious.

"I wondered which of you it had been before," the blond commented, scenting the air as if to confirm this was the same wolf he'd met before. "You're Bella's friend, Jacob, right?"

"Why ignore my question?" Jacob asked, swimming a little back from the vampire. This one had seen a lot of battle, the scars were plain on his skin.

"Just trying to get a little peace. What about you? Why are you out here?" the vampire countered.

"The same, I guess. Trying to cool off, ya know? Can't have me accidentally violating the treaty," Jacob responded with a shrug. Was the vampire getting closer to Jacob or was Jacob moving closer to him? For good measure, he pushed himself back a ways.

"Accidents do happen if we lose control," he replied. "My name is Jasper."

Jacob sighed. Was he really going to do this? Make nice with a fucking bloodsucker? He resigned himself to it. The attraction was undeniable and who else could he talk to right now? Besides, this one didn't stink so bad.

"Yeah, I'm Jacob, but I'd rather not talk about Bells, ok?"

"If I were in the mood for that, I wouldn't have ditched the family and come all the way out here, now would I?"

Jacob snorted. So, even bloodsuckers got tired of the drama. "I can't imagine living with that pansy-ass Edward can be easy."

"Thought we weren't talking about them," Jasper shot back. "But if you want to rub salt, what had you so riled up earlier?"

"Point taken. The families are bitches. So what are we talking about?"

"Ever been anywhere besides this corner of the world?" Jasper asked, effectively changing the subject.

Jacob lay back in the water and floated. "Nope. You?"

After a moment when he didn't get a response, he righted himself in the water to look at the vampire. His eyes had looked strange for a moment before his face suddenly changed to a more neutral expression. Why was he looking at him this way?

"Uh, Jasper? You okay?" Jacob asked, regaining the vampire's attention.

"Yeah, sorry. I was thinking. What were we talking about?" Jasper asked, sounding a bit confused.

"Nothing important. It's gotta be distracting, trying to sort out what everyone else is feeling," Jacob offered, wondering if the vampire knew what he was feeling right now and suddenly becoming embarrassed.

"You have no idea," Jasper confessed, with a smile.

"I can't keep my own shit together. I know with the pack mind." Jacob paused. He'd not really meant to bring up the pack but how could he back out of it now?

Jasper, seeming to catch on and notice Jacob's hesitation and reluctance, spoke up, "Yeah, you probably get it more than most. No privacy and you get things you don't want to know."

"Exactly," Jacob agreed.

An uncomfortable silence descended on the pair as Jacob stared into those golden eyes. He let himself acknowledge, just for a moment, that he wished to close the space between them. As soon as he did, he realized his mistake.

Jasper's eyes went wide and Jacob began to turn burnt red as he realized the vampire could feel his lust, quite literally.

"I...um, I should go," Jacob stuttered and began to swim for shore.

Before he even made it out of the water, Jasper was standing on the shore watching him wade in. No, not just watching, staring. Why was he staring?

That's when Jacob realized that Jasper wasn't the only one staring as he continued onto the shore toward the vampire's aroused body. Was this real? He should turn back. Or run away. Or phase. Something. But instead, he just kept walking forward.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. First, there was the writer's block. Then, there was all the RL drama. Then, of course, there were all the other projects to help with the block... *sigh* Thank goodness for holidays and time to write! :D

Also, please know this chapter would not be half what it is without the help of ArianaWhitlock who practically wrote half of it. Really! She should definitely be credited as co-author on this chapter. Thanks, bb girl! :)

Mega thanks to my beautiful betas, Loula & Savannah, without whom I would be utterly lost!

A million thanks to all the wonderful and talented writers who have been rec'ing my little story in their notes. I appreciate each and every one of you so much! ;)

xoxo,

Jack

PS. If you're curious what I'm reading & loving, please check my LiveJournal! (If this link doesn't work, there's another in my profile.) I don't get a ton of time to read, but I've read some amazing stuff lately. Be sure to at least check the one by Bbebar, you'll be glad you did!

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**Last ****time ****on**** "****Too ****Close****":**

_Before he even made it out of the water, Jasper was standing on the shore watching him wade in. No, not just watching, staring. Why was he staring?_

That's when Jacob realized that Jasper wasn't the only one staring as he continued onto the shore toward the vampire's aroused body. Was this real? He should turn back. Or run away. Or phase. Something. But instead, he just kept walking forward.  


**Jasper****'****s ****POV**

He found himself frozen to the spot as he watched the werewolf slowly emerge from the ocean, salt water rolling down hard, defined russet muscles. What had possessed him to race in front of the fleeing man? He tried to tell himself it was the underlying self-doubt and fragility that made him want to help Jacob, instead of the overwhelming outpouring of lust.

He was still shocked at his own reaction to the wolf while they had been in the water. Jacob had managed to get way too close to Jasper before he noticed his natural enemy was even there. How had he managed to get past his years of well-honed survival instincts without setting off any alarms? And when Jacob had casually leaned back in the water, letting his entire body surface and float with the waves, Jasper had found himself speechless with awe. He'd never found another man's body attractive before, but there was no missing the beauty of his new... friend? Was that the right word? Were they friends now?

"Are we friends?" The thought slipped out as Jacob continued forward, revealing his body to Jasper more and more as he got closer and closer.

Jacob seemed just as mesmerized as he was. Staring at him as he continued forward, not yet speaking or even seeming to register that a question had been asked. He felt an urge to help Jacob with whatever it was that was making him feel so alone.

As a member of a pack, Jacob should never feel alone, but that was exactly what he was putting out. Self-doubt, fragility, and loneliness were the emotions pushing at Jasper from the wolf, those and a whole lot of lust. And then it seemed to click for Jasper. If Jacob was attracted to him, maybe he was attracted to men in general, and just maybe that was what was causing him to feel isolated.

Jasper knew he had two choices. He could let Jacob take another step, get too close, and they could both lose their problems for a short time in each other. That choice was becoming the most likely as Jacob pressed forward, coming to a stop less than a foot in front of Jasper. Those dark brown eyes searched his, but hesitated, waiting for something from Jasper, but what?

What? Jasper was having a very hard time trying to think, overwhelmed as he was with the intensity of Jacob's emotions. There was a second choice. He knew there was, but staring back at the beautiful man in front of him, Jasper could not for the life of him remember what the other one was.

Maybe there was no choice? Maybe they were already too close.

Shoving his doubt to the back of his mind, Jasper's cold, pale hands moved in front of him to tentatively ghost over the sharp cheekbones of the man standing in front of him. Jacob released a sigh at the gesture of acceptance and moved a little closer.

Jasper could taste the other man's breath on his lips and his tongue subconsciously slipped from his mouth to wet his own lips and gather the flavor of Jacob's breath. He was most surprised to notice that he enjoyed the smoky musk he could smell and taste and the only thing he wanted in that moment was more.

When Jacob's lips finally touched his, the heat from those lips felt like wildfire rushing through his veins. Jasper pulled away quickly as the memory of the burning change rushed at him.

"I'm sorry," Jacob whispered.

"It's not you," Jasper managed to whisper as he fought back the imaginary pain.

"I should go." Jacob frowned. "Don't want Alice to see a wolf on Cullen land."

"She can't see us. Well, she can't see you and whoever you're with," Jasper confessed.

"So, she won't know her husband just kissed another man?" Jacob asked, sending a wave of deep brokenness and rejection.

"Wouldn't matter if she did, it wouldn't have stopped me," Jasper responded truthfully.

"What did stop you?" Jacob asked, lacing his fingers in Jasper's hair.

"Uncertainty," he answered, not wanting to explain the burning. "I can't figure out which feelings are mine and which are yours."

Jacob's hand fell to his side with that remark. "I should go."

"You're not going back to the reservation, are you?" Jasper asked, feeling his reluctance, knowing it wasn't just about leaving him.

"No." Jacob sighed heavily.

Jasper frowned and nodded. "I'm not going back there," he indicated the Cullen manor with a nod in that direction, "any time soon."

"You want to travel together?" he asked raising an eyebrow before turning away.

"I don't need facial expressions, Jacob." Jasper frowned, knowing he was trying to disguise his emotions. Jacob turned back with a blush. "You realize I have to hunt?"

"I can hunt, as a wolf I mean. I don't need human food." He shrugged.

"So what I drain, you eat?" Jasper asked, confused.

"We'd make a great team. Besides, it saves you from covering your tracks. Assuming you stick with the appropriate diet," he snapped.

The growl that escaped Jasper was instinctual, but his reaction was calculated. He grabbed Jacob by the hair and exposed his neck, placing his lips on his pulse point to prove who was dominant. "I'm dangerous," he whispered in his ear and though Jacob tried to mask it, Jasper could feel his fear. Their eyes met and the next moment they were nothing but tongues and mutual growls. The passion was strong, overwhelming. Jasper forced himself to break away and before Jacob knew what had happened, Jasper was dressed and handing him his clothes.

"I'm leaving now. It's your choice to follow." He shrugged, walking off in a slow human pace as he tested Jacob's conflicting emotions. He couldn't hold back the smirk as Jacob called for him to wait up. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

EN: I'm still not sure how arianawhitlock talked me into it (probably because I flove her so damn much), but I will be subjected to the hot seat on January 15th over at TheRoaster. It's basically a live interview on the forums here at ffn. If you're interested in asking me (or my Jasper and Jacob) any questions, please click on the link in my profile to get your questions in and tune in on Saturday, January 15th at 9pm EST to participate in the interview. I hope lots of people turn out. I'm super nervous, but I'll feel better if lots of my friends come! :D Much love, guys! Thanks for reading!


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